Ford and Toyota today announced plans to discuss how they can collaborate on rear-wheel-drive hybrids and in-car communications in the near future. That’s about as specific as the two companies were willing to get in this morning’s press conference. Now that Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s head of global product development, and Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s R&D chief, have signed a memorandum of understanding, the two companies will begin work on a feasibility study to determine how best to go forward on an equal partnership.

The rear-wheel-drive hybrid system would be applied to light-duty trucks and SUVs. For Ford that likely means the Ranger, the F-150, and the Expedition and its Lincoln Navigator twin (the Explorer has now joined the Edge and Escape as a front-wheel-drive-based product). Toyota’s application options are greater: FJ Cruiser, Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, 4Runner, and Land Cruiser, as well as the latter two’s Lexus counterparts, the GX and LX SUVs. The two companies have been working separately on their own rear-wheel-drive hybrid systems, and Uchiyamada and Kuzak said that the collaboration would help them share expertise and bring down cost by increasing scale.

The telematics cooperation would aim to develop industry standards for driver distraction, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and information security. The focus here would be on back-end technologies, such as how to connect to the internet or other networks, or the way a phone or other device communicates with the vehicle. The in-car interfaces—Ford’s current Sync suite and Toyota’s new Entune system—would remain separate.

A formal agreement is expected to result from the feasibility study sometime next year, with resulting products and technologies promised for this decade. We expect more information, and perhaps a foreshadowing concept vehicle or two, in the coming year.